davinci-resolve-titles-and-lower-thirds

name

davinci-resolve-titles-and-lower-thirds

description

Use when a user needs branded titles, animated lower-thirds, or a logo intro for their video — uses Resolve's Text+ node and Fusion's animation modifiers to create reusable title templates. Triggering symptoms include phrases like "add a name lower third", "animated logo intro", "title card with gradient", "save title as a template", "introduce a guest", or any DaVinci Resolve title/text question.

DaVinci Resolve — branded titles and animated lower-thirds

Overview

Build animated lower-thirds and title cards using the Text+ node, then save them as templates that drop into any future timeline. The core principle: the basic Text generator is fine for static titles; for anything that needs to animate or look polished, use Text+ which is Fusion-backed and far more powerful.

When to use

Symptoms:

• Need to label a person in an interview ("FULL NAME / TITLE")
• Want an animated logo reveal at the start of a video
• Need a chapter divider title card with a gradient or animation
• Want to reuse the same title style across many videos
• The phrase "make it look like a real broadcast"

When NOT to use:

• You need 3D titles or particle effects — use the full Fusion 3D workflow (Advanced VFX Guide pp. 14-19).
• You only need a one-off static slide of text — the basic Text generator (Effects Library > Titles > Text) is faster.

Quick reference

Goal	Tool	Where it lives
Static caption (one line, no animation)	Basic Text generator	Effects Library > Titles > Text
Lower-third (name + role, animated)	Text+ template	Effects Library > Titles > Text+
Animated logo reveal	Text+ + Follower modifier OR Fusion comp	Effects Library > Titles > Text+
Reusable across projects	Save as Template	Right-click the Fusion comp > Save As Macro

Steps

Build a lower-third using Text+

This is the workflow from Fusion VFX Guide pp. 140-145.

1. On the Edit page, position the playhead where you want the lower-third to appear.
2. Open the Effects Library (top-left button) > Titles category.
3. Drag the Text+ template onto V2 (above your main video clip) at the playhead.
4. Select the Text+ clip in the timeline.
5. Open the Inspector (top right).

Style the text

1. In the Styled Text field, replace Custom Title with the person's name in CAPS — e.g. FULL NAME.
2. Press Return to add a second line. Type their role/title — e.g. Senior Developer Advocate.
3. Set Font: pick a clean sans-serif. The Resolve PDFs use Open Sans at Extrabold weight, which is a safe default.
4. Set Size to around 0.1 (Text+ uses a 0-1 scale where 1 is the screen height).
5. Scroll down to H Anchor (horizontal anchor) and click the Left button so text aligns left.

Position the text

1. Click the Layout tab at the top of the Inspector.
2. Adjust Center X and Center Y to position the text in the lower-third (left side). Typical values: X = 0.1, Y = -0.3 (negative Y is below center).
3. Or — from the overlay menu in the lower-left of the viewer, choose Fusion Overlay to drag the text directly in the viewer using onscreen handles.

Add a gradient (the polished broadcast look)

1. Click the Shading tab in the Inspector.
2. Under Type, choose Gradient.
3. The first (white) color stop in the gradient bar sets the lower color of the gradient. Click it, then open the color swatch and pick a light teal.
4. Click the white color stop on the right end. Open the swatch and pick a pale yellow.
5. Scroll down to Mapping Angle and drag to -90 so the gradient runs horizontally across each character.
6. From the Mapping Level menu, choose Line so the gradient spans the whole word, not each letter individually.

Fusion VFX Guide pp. 142-145 covers this gradient workflow with screenshots.

Animate the lower-third (slide in from the left)

1. Position the playhead at the start of the Text+ clip.
2. Click the Layout tab > find Center X.
3. Click the small diamond next to Center X to add a keyframe at the current position.
4. Set Center X to -1.5 (off-screen left).
5. Move the playhead forward 12 frames (about 0.5 seconds at 24 fps).
6. Set Center X back to 0.1 (your final position). A second keyframe is created automatically.
7. Resolve interpolates between the two keyframes. The lower-third slides in from the left over 12 frames.
8. To smooth the motion: right-click the Center X parameter > Edit Spline to open the Spline Editor and convert the keyframes to ease in/out curves.

Save the lower-third as a template

This is what makes it reusable.

1. With the Text+ clip selected, click the Fusion button at the bottom (or press Shift-5) to enter the Fusion page.
2. You will see one node called Template (or Text1).
3. Right-click the Text+ node > Save As Macro.
4. Enter a name like DEVREL_LOWER_THIRD_v1.
5. The macro is saved to your local templates folder and shows up in the Effects Library > Titles category for any future project.

Fusion VFX Guide pp. 163-167 covers the Save As Template workflow.

Use it on the next video

1. New project, new video. Drag your saved template from Effects Library > Titles onto V2 above the speaker's clip.
2. Update the Styled Text in the Inspector with the new name and title.
3. Done — the same animation, gradient, and position carry over.

Build an animated logo reveal (the merged JTBD)

For a logo intro: same Text+ tooling, slightly different recipe.

1. Add a Text+ clip and replace the text with your brand name (or use a plain Text generator for typography-only logos).
2. Alternatively, drag your logo PNG/SVG from the Media Pool onto V2 — go to the Fusion page to compose it with animated background elements (animated shapes, particle systems).
3. For a simple "text appears one letter at a time" reveal: in the Text+ Inspector, set the Follower modifier on the Styled Text parameter — see Fusion VFX Guide pp. 153-157 for the Follower modifier workflow.

The Follower walks across each character and applies an animation to that character with a configurable delay between characters. Set the delay to 2 frames per character for a typewriter feel.

Common mistakes

• Using the basic Text generator and then trying to animate it -> the basic Text generator does not expose animation properties cleanly. For anything animated, start with Text+. (This is the misconception this skill addresses head-on.)
• Working in the Inspector and ignoring the on-screen handles -> the Fusion Overlay (lower-left of viewer > overlay menu > Fusion Overlay) gives you direct manipulation. Faster than typing numbers.
• Saving the template before perfecting the animation -> save your template only when you are happy with the timing. Each saved template is hard to update without recreating from scratch.
• Picking ornate or thin fonts -> they fall apart at YouTube's compression. Stick to medium-to-bold sans-serif fonts. Open Sans Extrabold (used in the Resolve PDFs) is a safe default.

Verification

You succeeded if all of the following are true:

1. The lower-third clip on V2 plays back smoothly with the slide-in animation.
2. The gradient on the text is visible — not flat single-color.
3. The saved template appears in the Effects Library > Titles category.
4. Dragging the saved template into a fresh timeline produces the same lower-third with the same animation.
5. Updating the Styled Text on the new instance does not break the animation or gradient.

Transfer

Now try this: build a closing lower-third that slides out (the reverse animation). The keyframe recipe inverts — start at 0.1 (visible) and animate to 1.5 (off-screen right). Save as DEVREL_LOWER_THIRD_OUT_v1. Now you have a matched pair you can drop in for the in/out moments of every guest introduction.

Working reference

• docs/wiki/fusion-visual-effects.md#lesson-6--creating-title-animations-addendum-pp-139-167 (Text+, gradients, animation, macros — primary)
• docs/wiki/beginners-guide.md#lesson-2--finessing-the-rough-cut-pp-69-139 (Adding the Logo, Adding the Closing Titles — beginner-tier alt path)
• docs/wiki/master.md#shared-glossary-terms-that-appear-across-multiple-pdfs (Text+ / Macro glossary)
• docs/wiki/master.md#reset-matrix--when-the-user-pushes-back-read-this (lower-third drift row)

When the agent's work isn't matching expectations (context-rot reset)

If the user reports gradients not appearing, the Follower modifier not animating, or the saved macro missing from Effects Library, read these PDF page ranges to reset:

• DaVinci-Resolve-20-Fusion-Visual-Effects.pdf pp. 139-167 (Addendum: Creating Title Animations — complete workflow)
• DaVinci-Resolve-20-Fusion-Visual-Effects.pdf pp. 140-145 (Styling Text in the Edit Page)
• DaVinci-Resolve-20-Fusion-Visual-Effects.pdf pp. 142-145 (Gradient shading — Mapping Level / Mapping Angle)
• DaVinci-Resolve-20-Fusion-Visual-Effects.pdf pp. 145-149 (Moving Text to the Fusion Page)
• DaVinci-Resolve-20-Fusion-Visual-Effects.pdf pp. 153-157 (Follower modifier — for logo reveals)
• DaVinci-Resolve-20-Fusion-Visual-Effects.pdf pp. 163-167 (Saving a Template / Macro)
• DaVinci-Resolve-20_Beginners-Guide.pdf pp. 122-130 (Adding the Logo, Adding the Closing Titles)